Circular-knitting machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets--Sheet 1 v .B. M. DENNEY. CIRCULAR KNITTING MAOHINE.

No. 540,151; Patented May 28, 1895.

Inventor.

Witnesses i Attorney.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheetfl.

-' B. M. DENNEY.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE. No. 540,151. Patented May 28, 1891 Witnesses W 47 410/ Inventor. 8 V 6 AL Lorne (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

-B. M. DENNEY.

CIRCULAR KNITTING MAOHINE.

No. 540,151. Patented M22328, 1895-. I

Inventor BARCLAY M. DENNEY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY.

CIRCULAR-KNITTING MACHINE SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 5 10,151, dated May 28, 1895. Application filed August 9. 1893. semi No. 482,743. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BARCLAY M. DENNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city and county of Camden, in the State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oircular-Knitting Machines, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates more especially to those knitting machines that are provided with devices for directing needles into and out of operative position, at predetermined intervals, during the process of fashioning the web, as for instance, in the knitting of the heel and toe parts of stockings.

A machine of this class forms the subject of an application for Letters Patent of the United States, filed by me October 8, 1891, lSleglial No. 408,082, to which reference may be The present matter may be described as an improvement upon my former machine, with the view of rendering the same more substantial and durable in construction and more officient in operation; and to this end the invention comprises novel features of construction and organization that will be hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

Referring to the annexed drawings, Figure 1 is a partial side elevation of a circularknitting machine embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Figs. 3 and 4 are details of the needle-deflecting devices, the latter being shown in their down or idle and in their up or active positions, respectively. Fig. 5 is a partial section, as on the line w x of Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a view of a sec-' ondary cam for action upon the said needle deflecting device. Figs. 7 and 8 are partial side elevations of the cam-cylinder and adjuncts, showing the needle elevating and depressing devices in the different positions they are caused to assume. Fig. 9 is a view of one of the needle-depressing cams detached in connection with a beveled deflecting piece therefor. Fig. 10 is a section of the tripping device. Figs. 11 to 15, bothinclusive, are diagrams illustrating the positions and actions of the needle-controlling cams at various stages ofthe operation.

The numeral 1 designates the bed of a circular knitting machine; 2, the fixed needlecylinder; 3, the rotatable cam-cylinder, and 4 the knitting cams. These parts are wellknown.

One feature of the invention, which I shall now proceed to describe, embodies a construc tion for raising a series (usually one-half) of needles in succession above the path of the knitting cams preparatory to performing reciprocating work, as, for instance, in the knitting of a heel or too.

In the wall of the cam-cylinder, at a suit able point beyond the knitting cams,is formed a diagonal slot 5, through which extends from the exterior of the cylinder a needle deflecting cam 6 that is movable lengthwise of the slot, the operation of this cam being determined by devices exteriorly of the cylinder. The slot extends below the top of the usual needlerest 7 the latter being channeled or recessed coincident with the slot (as at 8) so as to receive the deflecting cam. Through the outer portion of the cam freely extends a diagonal guide rod 9 rigidly secured to the cylinder. This rod is disposed adjacent to and parallel with the slot 5, so that the cam 6 may be moved in the direction of the slot. Interposed between the cam and the ing 10 to which the upper end of the rod is secured, is a spiral spring 11 which acts normally to depress said cam and maintain its inner portion below the top of'the needle rest 7. In this position, the cam is out of action. (See Fig. ll.) When, however, said cam is raised, to project sufliciently above the needle-rest, it lies in the track of the needle heels supported upon the rest. Hence, during the revolution of the cylinder the cam abuts against the needle heels in its path and deflects them upwardly beyond the path of the knittingcams, as indicated in Fig. 12.

When the requisite number of needles has been thrown out of action, if the earn 6 be raised still farther so as to move its lower edge above the line of the succeeding needle heels, the position of the latter will be unaffected by the said cam 6, and hence they will be operated by the knitting cams. (See Fig. 13.)

If the cam 6 be maintained in this elevated position until the needles in engagement therewithhave escaped the cam, and then be illustrated in the accompanying drawings a construction for this purpose that I have found, by experience, to be very elficient and desirable, as followsz-Projecting outwardly from the cam 6 is a tappet stud arm 12, which is adapted at the proper-intervals during the revolution of the cylinder to impinge against suitably-disposedcams 13- and. 14' on theibed of t'hemaehineand thus to be, successively. raisedu. The primary-raising cam] 3, as-it may, be termed, is movable into andout ofthepath. In the presentins of the arm 12 as desired. stance, this cam '13 is. secured to a pivoted leven '1 5 011 the .bed ofthe machine, a suitably-= disposed screw or pin 16 in said bed snugly.

registering with a notch in-the lever,-when the latter. is-nnoved inward, and thus maintaining the lever withits eam,in theinward or active position.

The forward or. acting edge of the canrl3 is inclined atzsuch an .angle that=when the: arm.12.abuts against the same, during the traverse of the cylinder, said arm with its connectionswill be raised in a vertical plane, or

Thusthe needles in thepath of the cam 6 will be immediately acted upon/thereby. The cam-'13. isof suffieient.

substantially :so.

height to effect the movement of the eam.=6

into.the path of the needle heels on-the needle rest as indicated'in Fig/hand as above de-.

scribed, whereupon .said cam. 6. is temporarily locked in this position by means of'a suit-able; latch; This latch comprises an arm 17rpiv+ oted on the cylinder adjacent to the slot5and. provided on its inner edge with a shouldered portion 18, which is heldnormally against'the. outer side of the ca1n6 by the action on thearrn17 of a torsional spring 19, .the bOdyzOf the latter encircling the pivot pin 20 while its ends are secured to studs 21-, 22, on the cylinder and arm respectively. Pivoted on thearm.

so. as to project normally beyondthe shoulder thereon is a tumbler. 23,"the.lower edge of which bears upon a stop 24:. Thus',s.while the,

tumbler cannot dropubelowthis: stop, the

former may-be moved upward sufficientlyto:

clear-the shoulder. Bythis construction it willbe' seen that when the deflecting cam-is. raised, its outer lower edge immediatelyiuponz passing theshoulder 18 will: be engaged by the latter. and thereby lockedin position,tthe.. tumbler during the movement: being pressed upward by the proximateedgeoftthe deflect-.5 It will alsobe seen that if the cam; 6 be subsequentlyraisedslightly higher so;

ingcam.

that its outer 'lower. edge willclear the contiguous corner of thettumbler, thei. tumbler will drop by gravity to" its: normal :position, whereupon, if the cam6 be freed, its outer projecting corner will bear against the opposededge of the tumbler and thus force the latch arm outward sufficiently to disengage the shoulder 18 from the cam, thereby permitting said cam to resume its original or idle position in readiness fora succeeding operation. When'thetappet stud escapes the cam 13, the cam 6 is locked in the raised or active position. Hence the deflecting cam, during the ad- Vance of the cam cylinder, directs out of action the suceessiveneedles in its path. As this cam approaches the-end of the series of needles to be up-thrown, the stud engages the beveled end of 'the'secondary cam 14 fixed to a post 25 rising from the bed plate as it may be termed, which 83.111114: thereupon raises the.

desc-ri-bedand, therefore, when the arm es capes-the eaml l, the deflecting cam is depressed to its original position by the action of the springll. This done, the primary cam 13 is thrown out of action.

I preferably secure on theinner side of the cylinder adjacent'to. the deflecting cam, a similarly inclined cam 26, the function of which is to-direct the needles upward still farther when they are discharged from the can1'6. See Figs. 11 to,15 both inclusive.

Another feature'of my invention relates to .a construction whereby theneedles used in the operation of fashioning .the heel and toe parts of the stocking may be automatically moved out of and-into action, at the proper intervals during the reciprocation of the cam cylinder, that is, after. the series of needles formerly described has-been moved out of operative position This construction is as fol1ows::Opposite1y inclined slots-27, 28 similar to those=illustrated-in my aforesaid pendingapplication, are cutinthe cam cylinder at or'adjacent to'each end of the knitting cams,-throughjwhich slots project certain needleecontrolling devices that are connected with andicontrolled by mechanism on the exterior of the cylinder. .The two sets of devices areyidentical in construction and operation, excepting that'they occupy reversed positions and hence a description of one set onlywill. be sufficient. Reference will here be mad'etothat set on the leading end of the knitting cams, assuming the latter to be movingin the-direction indicated-by the arrow in;Fig.14=. The;slot .27 extends diagonally from -.the top of the cylinder to and below thenose of the uppercam a of the knitting earns, while the oppositely disposed slot 28 rises from the summit of the lateralraising cam 19..

IIO

Extending into and through the slot 28 is a needle-elevating cam 29 the lower forward corner of which is preferably notched or re: cessed as at 30. Through the outer portion of this cam freely extends a diagonally-disposed guide-rod 31 the lower end of which is pivoted to a bracket 32 on the outer flange of the cam-cylinder, to the end that said rod with the cam 29 thereon, may be moved toward or away from the cylinder. This rod constitutes a guide for the cam in itslongitudinal movement within the slot. On the upper end of the rod is a collar or head 33 between which and the outer portion of the cam is interposed a spiral spring 34 which tends to normally depress the cam to the bottom of the slot. When the needle elevating cam occupies this position the inner recessed portion thereof is in the line or track of the heels of the active needles, and hence said portion abuts against the first heel in its path during the traverse of the cam cylinder, (as indicated in Fig. 14) which cam, with the needle in engagement therewith, is thrust upward against the pressure of thespring. When the said cam has reached the limit of its upward movement, its recessed portion, bearing against the heel of the needle, moves the cam outward, thereby freeing the needle. A cam 35 fixed adjacent to the slot 28, receives the needle when it is released from the cam, and forthwith conducts that needle out of actionthatis, abovethe line of action of the knitting cams.

In order that the cam 29 shall be conditionally locked in the elevated position when the needle is freed therefrom, so that the said cam will not descend and thusinterfere with v the succeeding needles during the stroke of the cylinder, I pivot on a stud 36 projecting outwardly from the cylinder a latch lever 37 and provide the outer portion of the cam 29 with a shoulder 38 with which one arm of said lever is adapted to engage when the arm 29 is raised. This arm of the lever is held yieldingly against the cam by means of a torsional spring 39 the body of which encircles a screw 40 on the post, while its ends bear against pins 41 on the post and lever arm respectively. See Fig. 2. This spring not only maintains the lever in position normally to engage the shoulder on the cam, but it also automatically presses said cam to its inward position when the engaged needle is released. It will be obvious that when the needle elevating cam is locked by means of the latch lever, if the outer arm 42 of the latter be pressed inward, said cam will be released, whereupon the compressed spring 34 expanding, will depress the cam to its active position in readiness for a succeeding operation.

Pivoted 'to a stud 43 fixed on the cylinder, adjacent to the latch lever, is a vertically disposed trip lever 44 the upper member of which is held normally against the outer edge of the lever arm 42 by means of a suitablydisposed spring 45, Fig. 2. This edge of the arm 42 is beveled as shown, so that if the lower end of the trip lever be properly moved the upper end thereof will bear against the opposed beveled edge of the arm 42 and thus unlatch the cam. The means which I prefer to employ for operating this trip lever will be hereinafter described. It will be obvious that if during each reciprocation of the cam cylinder the cams 29 on the opposite ends of the knitting cams, be alternately released, a needle will be lifted out of action at the alternate ends of the successive courses, and hence a gradual narrowing of the web will be effected. If the said inactive needles be depressed into action in reverse order to their.

toward its lower end, so as to permit. a little.

play of the cam 29 at this point. The object of this is to enable the said camto be readily moved upward by contact with a needle heel against its lower rearward corner, should said cam he accidentally or prematurely depressed. i

The devices which I employ for moving the inactive needles into play are virtually the same as the elevating devices above described, save that the conditions of the depressing cams 29 are reversed. The needle depressing cam extends into and through the slot 27 its upper forward corner being notched as at 3O similarly to the lower corner of the cam 29. It is likewise mounted on a diagonal guide rod 31 pivoted in a bracket 32 on the exteriorflangeofthecamcylinder. Aspiralspring 34 interposed between a shoulder on the lower portion of the rod and the under side of the outer portion of cam 29 acts normally to raise said cam to the top of the cylinder so that the recessed portion of the cam will intersect the plane occupied by the heels of the up-thrown needles, as indicated in Fig. 15. Thus said portion will abut against the first needle-heel in its path during the rotation of the cylinder, the cam with the engaged needle being thereupon pressed downward against the force of the spring 34. The outer portion of the cam is provided with a beveled shoulder a: which bears against a correspondingly beveled piece g on the wall of the cylinder 3 so that as the cam is being depressed, said piece will act to retract the cam from engagement with the heel of the needle; The parts are so constructed that the heel of the needle does not escape the cam 29 until it (said heel) is in operative position, that is in the track of the knitting cams. When the needle escapes the depressing'cam, the latter is conditionally locked in position similarly to the needle raising cam, that is to say, a spring actuated latch-lever 37" pivoted exteriorly to the cylinder engages a shoulder 38 on the outer portion of the cam. The spring 39 which actuates the latch lever also serves, as in the other instance, normally to press the cam' into' the cylinder. A vertically disposed trip lever 44: pi'votedon a fixed stud 4E3 ad' jacenttothe latch lever is adapted to bear against the-beveled edge of theouter arm of" the latch lever, at predeter'mi'ned intervals,- for the purpose of 'unlatching- 'the-=cam,thus permitting the-"spring 34 "*to th' r0w said cam-- intoaction; I

It will be obvious that-it d u-ring each reciprocation ofthe cam cylinder-afterthe comple' tion of the narrowing-process, the needle depressing cams on the opposite' ends of 'the' knitting cams be alternately brought'into opstruck by this corner of thecam,'to" deflect the latter outward, and th'us escape the same; should such cam be accidentally =or prematurely' raised. 1

The means which I prefer to employ fo'r'the' purpose ofperiodically actuating the'trip levers of the respective cams, comprisea pair of studs l6, 47, which may be moved into or out of the paths of the said levers." Preparatory to'th'c narrowing operation, the stud=l6 is projected into thepathfiot the-levers 44', so that during the reciprocation of the ca'm=cyl- 1 inder, saidlevers Willalternately abut against" and be operatedby the stud." Upon the'completion of this voperatiomthe stud 46 is re-; tracted,and its fellow projectedihto'the'path i of the trip levers 4.4 Hence-in thefollow-= in g reciprocations ofthe cylinder-the latter levers willbe actuatedbythe stud-47; These studs in their-construction and operation are identical with those of the'like-parts setout in my other application referred to-that is to say, the studs are fitted to shouldered holes in a bracket 47 risingfromthebaseof-the machine; suitably disposed springs-48 serving normally to retract the studs. Extendingfrom the latter throughslots in the top of the bracket'arestu'ds 49 which are engaged by the cam shaped end of a lever 50 pivoted on the bracket. WVhen the lever is in the central position both studsareretracted, but when it is moved to the-right or left, thecor responding stud is projected into the path of those trip levers to be actedupon thereby.

The word lock is used in the claims ina sense to'comprehendthe supporting or the fas-- tening of the deflecting camout of action, irrespcctive of the particular means employedu I claim as my invention-- 1. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams, of a -needle-deflectingcam diagonally disposed in said carrier, and means whereby it may be raised diagonally into or be depressed diagonally out of the normal-track of the needles, substantially as described;

2. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams, of a normally inactive needlede flectingcam disposed diagonally in said carrier-so as to be lengthwise movable into thetrackof the needles, and means exte'riorly of the carrier' adapted to move sa'id cam into action in a vertical plane during the rotation of saidcarrier, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a camcarrier, and its cams, of'a normally inactive needle defleeting cam=disposed diagonally in said carriersoas to be movable into the track of the needles, and' -mean's exteriorly of the carrier adapted to move said cam into action in a vertical planeduring the-rotation of saidcarrier, means -to'-lock said cam in action, and means to free the' same, at a predetermined period substantially as described.

4. Thecombinat-ion with a cam carrier, and itscams,'ot-a normally ,inactive'needle deflecti-ng'cam-disposed diagonally insaid carrier s'o as' to be movable into'the track of the needles, and means exteri'orly of the carrier adapte'dto move said cam into action in a vertical planeduring the'rotation' of said carrier, meansto lock-saidcam in' action, means to raise'it abovethenormal track of the needles, maintain the same therein :a predetermined period, and-then release the said cam; substant-iall y as described;

5. The combination with a cam carrier and itscams-;-*ot"-a normally inactive needle defleeting-cam diagonally dis'posedin'said carrierg'an arm extendingtherefrom exteriorly of'the carrier; a fixed cam against which said armisadaptedto abut, and by which it is adapted to be-raised vertically, during the traverse of the carrier, intothe normal track of the needles, together with means adapted to'lock'said 'camin the active position; substantially as described.

6. 'The co'mbination with'a cam carrier-and its cams, ota normally inactive needle deflecting cam diagonally disposed in said carrier, an ar-m extending therefrom exteriorly of the carrier, a fixed cam against which said arm is adap'ted to abut, and by which it is adapted to be raised'vertically, during the traverse of the carrier, into the normal track of the" needles, means adapted to lock said cam-in the active position, means adapted to be actuated-at a predeterminedperiod to releasesaid'locking means and a second fixed cam adapted to raise the needle-deflecting cam above the track of the needles, maintain it therein a predetermined period, and finally release the same; substantially as described.

-7. Thecombination with a cam carrier and its cams, of a normally inactive needle-deflecting cam disposed' diagonally in said carrier, a'guide =rod'upon which said'cam is mounted, a spring-tending todepress said cam, an arm extendingtrom the latter, a fixed cam adapted to-raise said-defiectin g cam vertically against the action of the spring-means to lock said cam in the raised -position, and means to unlock the cam' at a predetermined period; substantially as described.

8. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams, of a diagonally disposed cam in said carrier, means for raising said cam, aspring actnatedlatch arm mounted exteriorly of the carrier and adapted to engage said cam when it is elevated, together with a tumbler on said latch arm adapted to permit the disengagement of thelatch arm and cam; substantially 7 gaging cam and means adapted normally to project said cam yieldingly into the carrier, whereby it will be engaged by a needle-heel in its path and be moved diagonally and outwardly thereby; substantially as described.

11. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams of a diagonally sliding needle engaging cam spring devices adapted normally to press the same yieldingly in the path of the knitting needles, whereby said cam will be engaged by a needle-heel in its path and be moved diagonally and outwardly thereby, a latch device to lock the said cam out of action, and trip devices to release said latch, substantially as described.

12. The combination with a cam-carrier and its cams of a diagonally sliding needle-engaging cam, a vibratory guide rod therefor mounted exteriorly of the carrier, a spring acting to maintain said cam normally in action, and a spring-actuated latch adapted to lock said cam out of action, and to project the same normally into the carrier, substantially as described.

13. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams of a diagonally movable needle depressing cam notched or recessed in each upper corner thereof (as at and .2), means adapted normally to project said cam yieldingly into the carrier, and means to maintain said cam yieldingly elevated; substantially as described.

14. The combination with a cam carrier and its cams of a needle elevating cam, havinga diagonally reciprocative movement, an outward and inward movement, and a slight upward movement at predetermined periods, to gether with a vibratory guide device, for said cam, a spring to maintain the latter normally depressed, and means to maintain the same yieldingly projected into the carrier; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

BARCLAY M. DEN NEY.

Witnesses:

JOHN R. NOLAN, S. BROWN. 

